West Leeds: The Owl pub re-opens after £300,000 refurbishment

A landlord is raising his glass to a new era after a popular Rodley pub re-opened.

The Owl, on Rodley Lane, opened on May 1 after a year between new managers, and has had a refurbishment of about £300,000, ready to provide fine-dining.

It has been closed since June last year following disputes between the previous runners and Enterprise Inns, who own the pub.

New Landlord Dave Kelly, 30, of Georgian Square, Rodley, said: “Everybody’s talking about it - it’s achieving a massive fan base already and we’ve had good feedback on the food.”

“It’s a good time for me and staff to make a name for ourselves,” he added.

Mr Kelly has worked for many years in the industry, starting in pubs and moving on to running a hotel to broaden his experience, before taking up the reins at The Owl when it was bought by Lewis Cuddy, CEO of Urban City Pubs.

Customer Derrick Laws, 60, of Wortley, said: “We used to come here years ago. It was a shame to see it go down the road it did go.

“It’s really nice to see it open again - it’s a good atmosphere. We’ll come here regularly and back it 100 per cent.”

Fifteen new employees staff the pub, which instantly received 250 Facebook ‘likes’.